Arcane Sniper [Matan’s Shooter]

“Really~ Kijung-ssi, you seem overly excited, huh?”

Bobae chuckled as she watched Kijung, who was eagerly shaking his sword and shield.

With no further interference from mystical creatures or paleos, there was no force left to hinder Kijung’s quest to change his job to a Holy Knight.

“I have every reason to be excited! We’ve already crossed the 70% mark!”

The monsters ensnared by Rubini’s map were being steadily defeated, and with each victory, Kijung’s quest completion rate sharply rose.

“Hmm, at this pace, we could finish within a week.”

“Really? Hyein hyung, you think so too, right?”

“We might even need to thank the Lark and the Virtue Knights, Kay.”

“What do you mean by that, Tale?”

“Because of them, the entire Middle Earth knows you’re becoming a Holy Knight now. Maybe that’s why no other users dare come here.”

This was another reason for Kijung’s rapid progress.

While it was unclear what exactly being a Holy Knight entailed, the users that day instinctively knew it was ‘something tremendous.’

Indeed, within Middle Earth’s community platforms, from speculative rumors about what a Holy Knight is, to details about the guild ‘Byulcho’ and various gossip about its guild master, ‘Master Kay’ were swirling.

“Tale, honestly! How can you say they did us a favor? People from Byulcho are too kind, that’s their problem. It’s obviously because Kijung-ssi has always amassed good karma.”

“Ha, I’d have to agree with Bobae this time, Tale.”

“Ha, even Hyein agrees—”

Indeed, the viewpoint that Lark’s interference led to the current situation was uniquely held by Tale alone.

Bobae, quick to praise her boyfriend, completely flipped whenever Lark was mentioned.

However, Hyein joining in Bobae’s one-sided support had its merits.

Kijung’s usual conduct indeed contributed significantly to the high quest completion rate. Near Lope Continent’s Watchtower and in the vicinity of Red Wood on the Erika Continent.

At all these challenging locations for low-level entrants, Byulcho and Master Kay were always there to lend a hand.

It was unlikely those who had received help or guidance from Kijung even once could forget him.

Many community posts circulated, suggesting, “Let’s temporarily avoid areas where monsters appear to assist Master Kay’s quest,” showing voluntary ‘control’ to such an extent that Master Kay’s reputation was at its peak, thanks to Kijung’s usual behavior, just as Bobae and Hyun said.

“You praise me so, but I have nothing to give in return. How troublesome. Bobae, how about a mojito in the Maldives this weekend?”

“Ugh, boring. When was that ever fun—Wait… something’s coming!”

As Kijung playfully teased Bobae, Rubini’s voice rose sharply.

“What is it, Rubini-nim? A group of monsters? How many?”

“A monster… just one, but it’s strong.”

“One?”

“Yes, just one? I’m not sure; it’s somewhat different from the monsters we’ve seen so far.”

As Rubini shook his head, the expressions of everyone in Byulcho and the Paladins hardened.

“Another paleo?”

“No, it might be Bluebeard. Let’s prepare to retreat for now.”

Kijung immediately took out a crystal ball.

“Should I scout ahead?”

“No. Jin Gonggong, Biyemi, don’t split up this time. It’s too dangerous.”

“Kekeke, our guild master is this nervous—”

“Yes. You should be nervous. Please have your Blink Scrolls ready in case the crystal ball activation is delayed. Let’s not lose anyone.”

Kijung spoke seriously to Biyemi, who even in an attempt to ease the tension, stiffened up again.

Having faced Bluebeard before, Kijung knew if it was indeed him, not even the entire forces of Byulcho and the Paladins would stand a chance.”

Bobae-ssi, if you see it, please let me know.”

“Yes. According to Rubini-nim’s map, the direction is over there, but it’s not in sight yet. I believe it will come into view once we get over that hill.”

“It is coming straight towards us. It’s clear the monster is targeting us,” Rubini announced after examining the map. Bobae strained his eyes further.

“Damn, now of all times… Bluebeard? Suddenly?”

They had been unbothered for the last two and a half days.

Kijung couldn’t shake off the feeling of gratitude mixed with the inkling that this was potentially a huge problem.

Bluebeard must have known. He must have known that Kijung would become a Holy Knight. Therefore, it was necessary to consider the possibility of his interference.

Fortunately, they hadn’t encountered such an issue yet, and thus, Kijung had somewhat forgotten about it.

“If Bluebeard continues to interfere, clearing the quest will become difficult.”

Kijung quickly opened the friend window. His friend list, known for its extensive connections, was already full. There were quite a number of people he could immediately call upon.

Should he call for help?

Could they handle Bluebeard here? While Kijung was organizing his thoughts, Bobae shouted.

“I see it! The monster… uh, what?”

“What is it?”

“No, it’s just… a mummy?”

Bobae’s tone twisted strangely.

“A mummy? Do mummies appear in the New Continent?”

“No, it’s not that… I’ve never seen this kind of form before… Its whole body is wrapped in something like bandages.”

“What matters isn’t its appearance. Bluebeard~… It was burning at that time… Rubini-nim, what does the ‘size’ on the map indicate?”

Behind Bobae and Kijung’s bickering, Hyein asked.

Rubini’s face twitched slightly.

“It’s difficult to interpret.”

“What do you mean?”

Monsters’ ‘strength’ is represented as ‘size’ on Rubini’s map. But difficult to interpret?

Hyein approached Rubini’s map with a puzzled look.

“At first, it was quite large. Clearly… However, now the size has decreased. Actually, its size is changing slightly even at this moment.”

“Indeed.”

The red dot inside the map indeed fluctuated in size; it trembled slightly and then would suddenly expand, rapidly shrinking again, sometimes to the point of becoming invisible.

“Has this pattern occurred in the past?”

“Not as far as I know… There wasn’t a monster that deliberately used its power in this manner.”

“How strong is it when it’s at its largest size compared to other monsters?”

Hyein asked, gripping her staff. The mummy had approached within 100 meters by now.

Even without Bobae, one could easily observe it with the naked eye.

The bandages wrapped around its body were more drenched than white, and there were many places where they were loosely hanging.

Its gait also lacked strength, making it look dangerously frail for an adult male’s physique.

“Kijung-ssi, shall we give it a shot?”

“That, that seems good. It looks incredibly weak.”

“Let’s not be careless. Monsters found in the New Continent can’t be weak, right, Kay?”

Tale’s sword blazed with fire.

Biyemi also prepared for battle by tossing something resembling water balloons.

As the Paladins formed a battle formation, Hyein asked Rubini again.

“Rubini-nim?”

“Yes?”

“If we were to compare it to when the monster’s ‘size’ was at its largest… What level of monster would it be comparable to?”

The question made Hyein’s expression stiffen.

Rubini, an oracle, was not easily flustered.

Having the ability to predict the monsters’ strength, movements, and battle patterns meant encountering hardly anything that surprised her.

But her anxious expression was telling.

“That… I might have seen it wrong. The ‘thing’s’ movements are unnerving—”

“It’s alright. Please tell us.”

“Oh, oh? It’s getting faster! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!”

Kijung excitedly shouted as if touched by a surge of energy.

Some unknown monster? It’s definitely not a situation to let one’s guard down.

Yet, consider the level of power present here! Furthermore, facing a monster we’ve never seen before!

It’s true that imagining the rise in our quest completion rate upon defeating this creature does bring a certain joy.

“Huh? Who—Toon? As big as Toon, you say? If it’s Toon then—given that it was huge even on the maps with a 56m radius in the past—if it’s based on today’s map scale, just one Toon would take up 20% of it!?”

In the name of god!

Haah!

When the Paladins finished their battle preparations along with the chant, rubinia whispered softly to Hyein, her voice faint but clear.

“It’s bigger. Probably—most likely, you must have seen it wrong.”

“Just, just a moment! Bigger than Toon, you said? That Toon—”

“But—but it’s not like I got a good look at it, it was but a fleeting moment, so I thought surely something was amiss—that… that brief moment when ‘it’—”

“Let’s kill it! [Holy Spirit], [Shield Fortification], [Triple Armor]!”

Whooooosh!

Kijung was the first to rush out, casting buffs on himself. Bobae immediately strung an arrow and pulled it back.

“-It’s at least three times larger than Toon.”

Hyein’s face completely twisted.

“Ah, no, no! Kay-“

He immediately shouted.

“Stop—!”

“[Piercing Arrow]!”

Shhhhhhh”…………”

Bobae’s arrow flew toward the mummy’s chest.

Unlike regular arrows, the arrowhead with penetrating power completely bored through the mummy’s bandages and flesh.

Pwoooof!

As Hyein screamed to a halt, the melee fighters who stopped in their tracks could only watch the scene unfold.

“Uh… Bobae’s arrows are incredibly strong, aren’t they?”

“Ki, ki-kick. Doesn’t it seem like a bullet rather than an arrow??”

“No, it feels more like magic.”

The arrow, almost completely penetrated, disappeared into the creature’s body, ‘fletching’ and all. Considering the mummy’s size, the arrow would have protruded from its back with room to spare.

“With a Piercing Arrow……? Without even a strength buff?”

Even Bobae, who shot the arrow, wore a face of disbelief.

“That thing… is it weak??”

“No, no. I was just—trying to slow it down for a bit. That was it.”

Bobae’s arrow was not used as an attack skill against giant monsters but rather a skill for control.

Hearing Bobae’s words, Kijung turned his head even more to look at Hyein.

“Hyung?”

Confusion was appearing on Hyein’s face as well.

“That, that’s not what—I mean, definitely—”

Hyein also turned his head to look at Rubini.

“That’s what I tried to say… that it must have been a mistake.”

Although a large eyepatch covered the upper half of Rubini’s face, the reddening beneath her eyes couldn’t be hidden.

Seeing her embarrassment, Hyein also managed a wry smile.

“Heh, heh. Sorry, Kay.”

“Oh man, how surprised I was. When you suddenly told us to stop, I thought Bluebeard himself had appeared.”

“Well, nonetheless, it lifted the mood. Drop the light-heartedness, Kay. Focus is key.”

“Understood, Tale hyung. Paladins! Let’s go!”